Latest update May 13th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 18, 2016 Letters
Dear Editor,
I have absolutely no interest in being politically correct! I will not base my values or my submissions on the calculated assumption that some person will not like me or – in light of the upcoming Local Government Elections – will not vote for me. I will be true to my conscience. I recently wrote on the ganja legalization issue and I am receiving some severe flack for it. One man even told me that I “used” to be his friend but because of my latest article, I am no longer his friend.
The argument that many are proffering is that weed is a naturally grown herb, or that it has medicinal propensities, or that ganja is now legal in some countries and many states in the USA. I agree with all the afore- mentioned summations.
What I would like to submit myself is that in all the countries and states that marijuana is legal, there are restrictions on the amount one can have and in some cases, there is the requirement that possession of the drug be accompanied by a medical certificate.
Spinach, broccoli and cabbage are all naturally grown herbs, yet there are no restrictions to the amount that one can carry around. Why? Because spinach, or broccoli, or cabbage are not hallucinogens, neither are they addicting, and they do not alter the normal functioning of the brain. Every study done on marijuana shows that the drug – as medicinally beneficial as it is – also contains harmful doses of chemicals that should not be imbibed by humans.
So when the marijuana abolitionists come up against me, they must first admit that my arguments find residence in scientific facts. There are also studies which show that those who use pot on a regular basis are more inclined to violent behaviour and are less academically inclined than those who do not use it.
These are facts which cause the limitation and restrictions which follow all of the relaxations of the marijuana laws in other countries and they are also the reasons why the federal government in the USA has not slackened its prohibition of the substance.
Additionally, the countries where marijuana is legalized or where the penal consequences are relaxed all have more medical personnel and better psychiatric facilities than ours.
The countries that are moving ahead with allowing controlled amounts of ganja, all have contingencies in place to deal with the related medical fall-out. I am in touch with persons in the local mental health arena who have hard facts to show that there is a direct correlation between marijuana usage and some of the local mental health problems.
Also, I work with the street people in Guyana and I interact with them on a daily basis and I see and hear their stories. Many of them say that before they got to cocaine, alcohol or weed was the precursor drug that paved their way into the world of ‘harder’ drugs.
So, Mr. Editor, your readers must understand that I am not saying that persons caught with marijuana for personal use should be severely incarcerated. Indeed, I am on the side of those who think that there needs to be a discussion on the legal penalties associated with marijuana and the Rastafarian community who use it as a religious sacrament.
However, not until we have fully discussed all the pros and cons on this issue, and not until we staff our medical institutions with the relevant personnel, should Marijuana be legalized. We owe that much to our vulnerable little boy and girls.
And if I have to lose a few more friends and even if I have to risk losing an opportunity to represent my constituency because I refuse to be politically correct, then so be it.
Pastor Wendell P. Jeffrey
Listen how to run an oil country
May 13, 2024
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